Process of producing nitrogen simultaneously with oxids of nitrogen.



UNITE STATES AIFENT OFFICE;

MARTIN ROI-IMER OF GERSTHOFEN, NEAR LUCIUS & BRUNING. or HUCHST-ON-THE-MAIN,

GERMANY.

FARBWERKE VORM. MEISTER GERMANY, A CORPORATION OF AUGSBURG, GERMANYv ASSIGNOR T0 PROCESS OF PRODUCING NITROGEN SIMUL'IANEOUSLY WITH OXIDS OF NITROGEN.

i .ooeaioa.

N 0 Drawing.

To all illLOI/L it may concern:

' Be it known that I, MARTIN RonMuu, Ph. 1)., chemist, a citizen of the Empire of Germany, residing at Gersthot'en, near Augsburg, (-iermany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Process of Producing Nitrogen Simultaneously with )xids of Nitrogen, of which the following is a specification.

In U. S. patent-application No. 746,958, tiled 7th February 1913, is described a process for producing nitrogen and oxids of nitrogen by burning ammonia in atmospheric air, the essential feature of which is that there is no excess of oxygen in the reacting-mixture of ammonia of high concentration and air, so that, after the separation of lower or higher oxids of nitrogen, pure atmospheric nitrogen is obtained. In carrying out this process on a large scale, I have made the observation that it is necessary to avoid a detrimental overheating of the gas-mixture to be burnt, particularly if the extension of the contact is only small and if there is, consequently, a great rise of the temperatnre. New I have furthermore found that this object can be attained by introducing into the said mixture an inditterent gas, for example a certain quantity of the nitrogen which is produced in the course of the process itself. Thus, for instance, by introducing 23 parts by volume of nitrogen, the absolute concentration of the ammonia in a mixture of air and ammonia containing 12.3 per .cent. of ammonia (as described in Example II of U. S. patent application Ser. No. 746,958, above'ret'errcd to) may be reduced to ten per cent. without. the nature of the reaction-products being altered thereby.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed December 22, 1913.

' atcntcd M ay 12, 1914. Serial No. 808.262.

A mixture of this character, when burned, yields nitric oxid (NO), atl'ording excellent yields. After cooling, the quantity of the residual oxygen is sufiicient only for the con version of one-half of the nitric oxid into nitrogen tetroxid. Thus, a mixture of nitric oxid (NO) and nitrogen tetroxid (N 0,) is produced, which mixture, when further cooled, forms nitrogen trioxid (N 0,). By absorption in caustic soda lye, the latter is most easil and completely converted into the valuab 2 sodium nitrite.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The process of producing nitrogen and oxids of nitrogen, which consists in burning ammonia with atmospheric air into which an indifferent gas is introduced, the reaction-mixture containing a high percentage of ammonia and just suflicicnt oxygen to oxidize the hydrogen-component of the ammonia to water and its nitrogeu-component to lower or higher oxids of nitrogen.

2. The process of reducing nitrogen and oxids of nitrogen, w iich consists in burning ammonia with atmospheric air into which nitrogen is introduced, the reaction-mixture contalning a high percentage of ammonia and just snllicieut oxygen to oxidize the hylrogcna'iunponcnt ot' the and its nitr igcn-component to lower or higher oxids ol nitrogen.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN ROHMER.

W'itucss s:

A. V. W. COTIER, Umuur. Ronnnn.

ammonia to water 

